Interlocking system for railroads



Filed July 30, 1936 lu emwwzm@ AQZNWE 3L mw @L E ATTORNEY Patented May16, 1939 INTERLOCKING SYSTEM FOR RAILROADS Frank. Benedict, Rutherford,N. J., assigner to General Railway Signal Company, Rochester, N. Y.

Application July 30, 1936, Serial No. 93,432

c claims. (o1. 24e- 134) This f invention relates to centralized trafficcontrolling systems for railroads vand more particularly pertains tomeans for-indicating to the operator in a central oflice the route, anddireclustration and facilitating in the explanation thereof variousparts and circuits constituting the embodiment of the invention havebeen shown diagrammatically, and certain convention illus'- trationshave been employed, the drawing having been made with the idea of makingclear the purposes and principles of the invention together with themode of operation rather than with the idea of construction andarrangement of parts provides for governing West-bound trafc off of thediverging track.

In the central office is located a control panel A comprising aminiature track layout having indication lamps and control buttonsthereon,

tion of travel thereover, manually initiated by that would probably beemployed in practice. '51

, the operator. In practicing the invention it may be applied to `Thepresent invention relates to improvements track layouts on which aplurality of routes may in the indications provided in a system ofthesobe simultaneously established and in which a called entrance-exitroute type interlocking sysplurality of track switches and cross-oversare tem disclosed in the prior patent of S. N. Wight, included in thesame route and controlled by the 10 Patent No. 2,121,846 dated June 28,1938, and is same entrance and exit control buttons. The also animprovement over the indication vsystem various relays and theircontacts are illustrated disclosed in the prior .application of ForestB. in a conventional manner and symbols are em- Hitchcock, Ser. No.74,709 led April 16, 1936. ployed to indicate connections to theterminal of 'I'he organization of a system embodying the batteries andother suitable sources of electric 15 present invention contemplates aminiature track current supply instead of showing all the wiring diagramlocated in the central. oice which corconnections to such terminals.responds with the actual track layout in the Symbols and are employed toindicate field. An entrance button is located on the diathe positive andnegative terminals respectively gram at each iroute determining point onthe of suitable batteries or other sources of electric 20 track layoutand an exit push button and also energy; andthose terminals with whichthese an exit indicator is located at each point'to which symbols areused are presumed to have current traflicmay go. That is', for eachsignal location flowing from the positive terminal designated there isan entrance button which button re- (-1-) to the negative terminaldesignated quires the operation of an exit push button at the Thesymbols (B+) and (B-) are employed to 25 end of the proposed route inorder to establish indicate the positive and negative terminalsremovement of traflic over a particular trackway spectively of asuitable battery having a midroute. tap (CN).

One of the objects of the present invention is Symbols employed with anyone circuit are conto show by means of indications on the miniaturesidered to designate asingle source of energy in 30 track diagram theroute which has been initiated this embodiment of the present inventionbut as by the operator and the route that Will be estabmany sources' maybe provided as found necessary lished .in the field including the.direction in or expedient in the practice of the invention. whichtrains may move thereover When established, and to accomplish this in asimple and APPARATUS IN GENERAL 35 y direct marmer, In the accompanyingdrawing the invention Other objects, purposes and characteristic feahasbeen ShOWrl applied t0 a track layout B tures of the present inventionwill be in part 0bconsisting of a section of main line track 5 and viousfrom the accompanying drawing and in a tlllllOllt track 6 CODIECE. bythe SWl'tCh TS,

40 part pointed out as the description of the inven- Which SWtCh iSOperated by the Switch machine 40 ytion progresses, SM which may be ofany 'suitable type. How- In describing the invention in detail referenceever, it should be understood that the invention will be made to theaccompanying drawing which is not limited as shown to the control of asingle illustrates a control panel Constructed in accord- Switch but maybe applied to any track layout ance with the present invention as itappears fOuIld in DraCtCe- 45 under normal conditions when no route orroutes Signal 2 prOVdeS fOr gOVerDiIlg 'east-Mund have been set up, andwhich drawing also iltraffic over the main track 5, and signal 2dgovlustrates the track layout in the eld which cor- @IHS tram@ Over theSWtCh TS 011t0 the turnout responds with the miniature track diagram.traCk 6- Signal 3 DrOVidGS OI governing WSt For the purpose of furthersimplifying the ilbound traic over the main track 5 and signal 4 50 asshown on the drawing. This panel is preferably made of a dark coloredmaterial upon which is formed by grooves of other suitable means,markings to represent a track layout, which track layout corresponds tothe actual track layout B in the eld. The base of these grooves, whenemployed, should be marked by a distinctive color such as white to makethese grooves stand out from the dark background.

Located on the control panel are suitable buttons and indicatorsincluding the entrance buttons 2NB, 3NB and 4NB which are located atpoints corresponding to their .respective signals as indicated by theprex number. Located at the center Vof these entrancebuttons aresuitable fixed indicators ZNBL, 3NBL and 4NBL, which have arrows locatedon their lenses which show the direction in which the correspondingsignal in the field governs trai'lic. 'I'he arrows are illuminated bylamps located underneath the lenses, which lamps have for conveniencebeen shown displaced from the lenses in the drawing. The outer movablepart of the button has located thereon a pointer 1 which is shown in itsnormal position and may be rotated to correspond with the position ofthe arrow on the lens in the center of the button.

Adjacent to the entrance buttons are the exit indicators 2XL, 3XL and4XL and the exit push buttons ZXPB, 3XPB and 4XPB. The exit indicatorsare i'lXed indicators including lampfs which when illuminated light thearrow located thereon to show the proposed direction of the movement oftrallc over the selected route. The exit push buttons XPB are of theself-restoring type andwhen actuated in conjunction with thecorresponding entrance button closes' a circuit for the control of routerelays as shown in the drawing.

Associated with the entrance and exit buttons and the exit indicatorsare suitable route relays 2 3 and 2 4 of the polar neutral type. Theoperation of these route relays 2 3 and 2 4 eifect the control of theswitch TS through the switch control relay Z which is a relay of thepolar neutral type and preferably located in the central oflice.

In the accompanying drawing the entrance buttons are all shown in theirnormal no-route or signal-at-stop position, while the polar contacts ofthe associated route relays are shown in their right hand positions,signifying that east bound trafiic will be set up when these relays areenergized.

OPERATION Setting up a muta-Let us assume an operator wishes to set up aroute over switch TS from signal 2 to signal 4 shown in the track layoutB. In order to do this he rotates the entrance button 2NB in a clockwisedirection until the pointer 'I on the outer portion of the buttoncorresponds to the position of the arrow on the stationary indicatorZNBL and completes the operation by pressing the exit push button 4XPB.

On the completion of this sequence of operation of these control buttonsthe route relay 2 4 will become energized and the route that will be setup in the field will be vindicated immediately tothe operator by theillumination of the exit indicator 4XL and the indicating lamp ZNBL inthe center of the entrance button 2NB.

The circuit for the energization of the relay 2 4 is closed from throughthecontact I0 of the entrance button 2NB in the position shown by theAdotted line through the coils of the route relay 2 4, back contact I Iof relay 2 3, contact I2 of entrance push button IINB in its normalposition, Contact I3 of the push button 4XPB in its depressed positionto The current which flows in this circuit actuates or holds the polarcontacts of the relay 2 4 to the right hand position as shown and picksup its neutral contacts, so that a stick circuit is established fromthrough front contact I4 and polar contact I5 of route relay 2 4 in aright hand position to shunt out contact I3 of the exit push buttonIIXPB, which contact I3 is only-closed momentarily as it is aself-restoring push button.

When the route relay 2 4 is energized, or picked up, energy is suppliedto the entrance indicator 2NBL located in the center of the entrancebutton 2NB, and the exit indicator 4XL through a circuit from throughfront contact I6 of the route relay 2 4, and the polar contact Il of theroute relay 2 4 in the right (hand position through the indicator lamps4XL and ZNBL in series to the terminal of the same source or" current.

With the neutral contacts of route relay 2 4 picked up the pick-upcircuit for the 2 3 route relay is opened at back contact I8 andtherefore no other route can be established until the route relay 2 4 isdeenergized. This may be done by restoring the entrance button ENB toits normal position.

Similar circuits as the circuit traced for the indicating lamps ZNBL and4XL traced above are provided for the remaining indicating lamps.Y Forinstance, one of these indicating circuits is controlled through frontcontact I6 and polar contact I1 to the leftof the route relay 2 4, asecond circuit is closed through the neutral contact I9 and the polarcontact 20 to the right of thel route relay 2 3 and another circuit forindicating lamps may be traced through the front contact I9 of the routerelay 2 3 and the polar contact 29 thereof assuming the left-handposition. Since these route relays 2 3 and 2 4 are electricallyinterlocked through their respective back contacts II and I8, only oneof these routerelays may be energized at one time. Also, since the polarcontacts of these relays may assume one extreme posi-v tion at one timeonly, an interlock is provided between lamps indicating east-bound traicand lamps indicating west-bound traiiic over the sam route. f

The switch machine SM operates the switch TS to either of its twopositions through the medium of the relay Z Which relay in turn iscontrolled by the route relay 2 4 or 2 3 as the case may be. With theroute relay 2 4 now energized toward the right, for reasons above given,an energizing circuit for the switch control relay Z is closed, whichmay be tracedV from (B through the front contact 2I of the route relay 24 through the coils of relay Z to terminal (CN) which constitutes amid-point of the same source of current.

The signal 2d governing the Yroute over the switch TS to signal 4 isalso controlled by the route relayA 2 4. The circuit for clearing thissignal 2d may be traced from through neutral contact 22 of route relay 24, through polar contact 23 of route relay 2 4 in the right handposition through signal 2d to The signals 2, 2d, 3, and 4 shown in thetrack layout B are preferably light signals of the three indication typeand the indications displayed thereby will depend on the condition oftraic ahead of the signal, the position assumed'v by the 2,168,974 vtrack switch and the fact that the switch and the Itis believed that itwill be readily understood by analogy to the above description, how aroute may be set up. from signal2 to signal 3 or in the reversedirections from signal 3 to signal 2, and from signal 4 to signal 2.However, when a route isset up from signal 4 to signal 2 or from signal3 to signal 2 the route relay 2 4 or 2 3, as the case may be, isenergized so that its polar contacts are moved to the left handposition. To set up a ,route from signal 3 to signal 2 the entrancebutton yas pushbutton ZXPB pressed. This energizes the relay 2 3 Aso itspolar contacts move to their left hand position through a circuit from(-1-) through contact 9 of entrance button 3NB in itsk dotted lineposition, coils of relay 2 3 through back contact I8 of relay 2 4through Contact Il] of entrance button 2NB in its normal positionthrough contact 24 of the exit push button ZXPB in it'sdepressedposition to When the neutraljcontacts of relay r2 3 are picked up astick circuitv is closed which includes the front contact 25 and polarcontact 26 positioned to the left of relay 2 3 to shunt out the contact24 of the push button 2XPB which is ofthe self-restoring type.

, The operation of the-entrance button for the beginning of a route andthe operation of the exit push buttony for the end of the correspondingticular route and the direction of traiiic over the particular vroute tobe established. After the completion of this operation the indicator inthe entrance button and exit indicator located near the exit button willbecome illuminated, showing the extremities ofthe route and thedirection of trafiic over the route thatk will be established in thefield. That is, if a route from signal 2 to signal 3 is set upindicators 2NBL and 3XL will light up. Likewise a route from signal 4 tosignal 2would be indicated by the entrance button ANB and the exitindicator 2XL being lighted.

' Y which relay has been properly positioned by the manipulation of theassociated entrance and exit buttons. For instance signal 3 is clearedby a circuit from (-1-) through the front contact 21 and the polarcontact 28 to the left of route relay 2 3 through signal 3 to When routerelay 2 3 is energized the switch control relay 2 is positioned so thatthe switch TS is operated to its normal position. The circuit whichcontrols the relay Z to that polar position may be traced from (B|)through contact 29 of route relay v2 3 through the coils of the relayZto common return wire (CN).

Instead of having the arrows embossed on a stationary lens of theentrance buttons 2NBL, 3NBL and 4NBL as shown in the drawing, theselenses may be movable in the rotatable position ofcorresponding entrancebuttons. If this modied construction is employed, the arrow wouldpreferably point upward when this button assum'es its normal no-routeposition. The arrow could in this modied construction not be lightedwhile the arrow is pointing upwardly. In this form of construction thepointer 'l Would preferably be omitted since the dark vor lighted arrowby its vposition would show the position assumed by the arrow.

Summary The present invention provides a miniature track diagram withits associated entrance and exit buttons and entrance and exitindicators oan NX interlocking system in such a Way as to showimmediately the extremities of the route attempted to be set up and thedirection of trafcover this route. This is believed to be desirable sothat the operator can readily ascertain the extent of the route set upand thereby eliminate the tendency to set up a conflicting route ordisturb a route already set up.

Having thus shown and described a centralized trafc controlling systemfor railroads, as including one specific embodiment of the indicationsystem constituting the present invention, it is desired to beunderstood that various modifications, alterations or adaptations may beemployed to meet the requirements encountered in practicing theinvention, and without in any manner departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention, except as demanded by the scope of the followingclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In an interlocking. system of the entranceexit type, the combinationwith a track layout in the iield including a plurality of conflictingroutes and a corresponding miniature track layout on a panel in thecontrol oiiice, manually operable means at each end of each route onsaid miniature track layout, an indicating lamp associated With each ofsaid manually operable means, a route relay for each route, meanseiiective upon operation of manually operable means at the entrance endand at the exit end of a partic-ular route from normal for energizing aroute relay identifying that route, means controlled by said route relayfor setting up a corresponding route on the actual track layout, and acontact on said route relay for energizing the indicating lamps at theentrance and exit ends or" the route corresponding to said route relay.

2. In, an interlocking system of the type described, the combinationwith an actual track layout in the eld including a plurality of consi'licting routes, a panel in the control office having a miniature tracklayout depicted thereon, manually operable means at each end of eachroute of said miniature track layout, a route relay for eac-h route, anenergizing circuit for a particular route relay energized by current ofone polarity if the manually operable means for that route are operatedin a predetermined order and for energizing said relay by current of thereverse polarity if said manually operable means are operated in thereverse order, means for setting up traic in one direction over thecorresponding route in the eld when said relay is energized by currentof one polarity and for setting up traffic in the opposite directionover the same route when said relay is energized by current of theopposite polarity, 'and means controlled by said relay for indicating onsaid mlnl'iaturetrack layout the particular relay which has beenenergized and also indicating with what polarity of current said relayhas been energized.

3. Control apparatus for interlocking systems comprising, a controlpanel having a miniature track layout depicted thereon, manuallyoperable means at each end of each route on said |miniature tracklayout, an entrance indicating lamp associated with each manuallyoperable means, an exit indicating lamp associated with each manuallyoperable means, a route relay for `each route on said miniature tracklayout for lsetting up a corresponding route on an actual track layoutand energized only if the manually operable means at the ends of thecorresponding route on the miniature track layout are operated fromnormal, composite energizing circuits for said lamps each compositecircuit including the lamp at the common entrance to a plurality ofroutes included in series with lamps at the exit ends of these routesconnected in multiple, l'and means for controlling said compositeenergizing circuits for said route relays.

4. In a switch and signal control system for railroads; a track layouthaving a plurality of different routes with power operated means forsetting up the different routes and with signals at the entrance andexit ends of such routes for governing traflic thereover, a contro-lpanel having a miniature track diagram of said track layout, manuallyoperable devices on said miniature track diagram at points correspondingto the 1ocations of said signals, indicator means associated with eachmanually operable device at points corresponding to said signallocations, route establishing means responsive only to the jointoperation of said manually operable devices for the entrance and exitends alone of any given route to control said power operated means toset up that route and clear the signal at the entrance thereto, andcircuit means controlled only upon the response of said routeestablishing means, irrespective of the response of said power operatedmeans, to effect the energization of said indicator means for theentrance and exit ends of any given route being set up by said routeestablishing means.

5. In a switch and signal control system for railroads; a track layouthaving a plurality of different routes with power operated means forsetting up the different routes and signals for governing trafc oversuch routes; a control panel having a miniature track diagram of saidtrack layout; manually operable devices on said miniature track diagramat points corresponding to .the locations of the signals in the actualtrack layout,

each of said manually operable devices being operable to designate itslocation as an entrance point or'as an exit point; indicator meansassociated with each of said manually operable devices for indicatingwhen illuminated whether the corresponding signal location is anentrance point or an exit point; route establishing means responsive tothe joint operation of said manually operable devices at the oppositeends only of any given route whensuch devices are operated to designateone end as an entrance point and the other end as an exit point withsuch response of said route establishing means effecting the control ofsaid power operated means to set up. the designated route through theactual track layout and Vclear the signal at the designated entranceend; and circuit means controlled by said route establishing means onlyafter the response of such route establishing means to the jointoperation of said manually operable devices to eiectithc selectiveenergization of said indicator means for the entrance end and the exitend of the route being set up to distinctively designate the entranceand exit ends of that route.

6. In an interlocking system of the entranceexit type, a track layouthaving different routes set by power operated means with signals at theentrance to such routes for governing traiiic thereover, a control panelhaving a miniature track diagram corresponding to said track layout,manually operable devices on said miniature track diagram at pointscorresponding to the locations of said signals in said track layout andconstituting the entrance and exit ends of the different routes, twoindicator lamps associated with each of said manually operable devices,one of said lamps being provided with an arrow index to show thedirection of trafc governed by the signal for the corresponding locationand the other of said lamps being provided with an arrow index to showthe opposite direction of traidroute establishing means responsive tothe joint operation of said manually operable devices for the entranceand exit ends alone for any given route to control said power operatedmeans to setl up that route and clear the signal at the entrancethereto, and circuit means rendered elective only after the response ofsaid route establishing means and selectively controlled thereby toenergize the indicator lamps at the opposite ends of any given routebeing set up by said route establishing means, said circuit meansenergizing the lamps having arrow indiceskfor the same direction oftraffic and corresponding to the direction of traffic governed by thesignal cleared at the entrance to such route.

FRANK BENEDICT.

